25 SEP 25

Head cold is crackin' that morning but not enough to stop our trip to the Eckert's country store in Belleville across state lines... Puck even returns early from an overnight at J's to join our 48-minute drive through a patched and crumbling East St. Louis into lightly rolling farmland for...

...fat Honeycrisp apples which Puck hand selects... and even fatter orange pumpkins for jack 'o lanterns... quarters knocked into the coin box for apple cider samples... they all approve... sanded root beer candies and sanded lemon drops and medleys of autumn candy corn mixes and... “Should we look at their cookies?” Puck asks next... perusing for anything else that looks good... but he becomes more interested in a loaf of farm fresh white bread and a large jar of apple butter... a few more goodies knocked into the cart and we ring it all up for that one opulent day I allow each autumn...

Home for more fun things like sneezing through early American history work sheets with the kids and extensive dental paperwork for Puck's wisdom teeth extraction consultation and helping him set up all the tedious components of his new old school Cassio watch which he is loving and also some online shoe shopping because... “I hate foam soles... these shoes are stupid!”... Puck proclaims as he drops them on the ground and begins researching Brooks Ghosts as recommended by Uncle Elmer for his running future...

Then while Puck is back sorting produce for four hours...

Patience and I throw beans and rice and leftover steak and cornbread together for an early dinner before hiccoughing our way through traffic back to the studio...

...drive back under slice of moon rising over splash of orange light slipping into the west...